Manchester United pay more on interest on debt than new stars like Bebe

08 October 2010 12:05

Manchester United are spending more on interest payments than they are on players,the club's accounts will reveal today.

It is believed the figures will show in the region of £40million going to service the Glazer family's debts, with a little over £22m (net) spent on recruiting Antonio Valencia,Michael Owen, Gabriel Obertan, Javier Hernandez and Chris Smalling in a year thatalso saw players like Zoran Tosic, Fraizer Campbell and Ben Foster leave the club.

Ferguson continues to tell United supporters that there is money to spend on players if he wants to use it and has indeed invested £7m on the Portuguese prospect Bebe in recent weeks.

Recent investment: Bebe (left) made his Premier League bow against Sunderland

However, today's figures will only serve to deepen the suspicions of those fans who feel the Glazers' years of ownership have bled United of their strength in a transfer market now dominated by the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Ferguson recently described the attitude of some clubs to transfer spending as 'kamikaze' but the fact remains that while City and Chelsea have invested heavily intheir squads in recent seasons, United have done little more than reinvest the proceeds of their sales, notably the £80m Real paid for Cristiano Ronaldo.

It is expected that today's figures, due to be released at 11am, will show Red FootballJoint Venture Ltd owned by the Glazer family to have lost a relatively small amount over the 12 months to June 30, 2010.

To the point: Manchester United's fanbase has not warmed to their American owners

As usual, the club's turnover and operating profits are expected to be impressively high and the latter could be as much as £100m.

Match revenues are expected to be down a little on previous years, given an earlier exit from major cup competitions, but commercial revenues have risen along with income from media streams, something that reflects the beginning of a new and lucrative Champions League TV deal.

It is inevitable that today's accounts will once again prompt calls for the Glazers to sell United, something the American family have stressed they have absolutely no intention of doing.

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